KAZAKHSTAN-AFGHAN RELATIONS: HISTORY AND PRESENT

Abstract

Since the late 70s of the last century, an Afghan knot of contradictions has been tied. In 1992, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was formed, at the helm of which in 1996-2001 was the Taliban movement, recognized by many states as a terrorist one. Long-term conflicts in the country have led to the decline of the economy and the flourishing of the drug trade.

The main purpose of the article is to study the development of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan and the expansion of trade and economic cooperation.

The scientific and practical significance of the article is to identify prospects for the development of relations across the entire spectrum – trade, investment, transport, communications, education, culture, support for the Kazakh diaspora, etc., to prevent the crisis in Afghanistan and the risk of infiltration of terrorists, refugees and drug transit.

The methodological basis of the study is the principles of objectivity and a systematic approach to the phenomena of international relations, aimed at an unbiased analysis of all available materials on the research topic and taking into account the complex structure of international relations in various subsystems of the Central Asian region.

As a result of the study, it was found that Kazakhstan has been developing diplomatic relations with Afghanistan since 1992. In 1996, Kazakhstan and all OCST states took a firm anti-Taliban position. Relations between our countries intensified after the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001. Repeated meetings of heads of state and government, foreign policy departments took place, parliamentary ties and interaction in international and regional organizations were strengthened. In 2021, Astana established business relations with the Taliban government to develop ties in the field of economics and trade, especially for Afghanistan, the supply of Kazakh wheat and flour is significant.

In the humanitarian field, Kazakhstan provided assistance to Afghanistan in the construction of schools, hospitals, bridges, training of Afghan students, and supplying the population of some provinces with food and goods during natural and other disasters.

The value of the study is that it analyzes the development of relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, the situation in which is of great importance for stability in the region. The activity of other Central Asian states and major extra-regional powers in this country is shown, which will serve as an incentive for Kazakhstan to determine vectors for further development of relations The published research results will be in demand by political scientists, teachers, and students in specialized fields.